Eurovision Song Contest 1978 | |
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![]() | |
Dates | |
Final | 22 April 1978 |
Host | |
Venue | Palais des Congrès Paris, France |
Presenter(s) | |
Musical director | François Rauber |
Directed by | Bernard Lion |
Executive supervisor | Frank Naef |
Host broadcaster | Télévision Française 1 (TF1) |
Website | eurovision |
Participants | |
Number of entries | 20 |
Debuting countries | None |
Returning countries | |
Non-returning countries | None |
| |
Vote | |
Voting system | Each country awarded 12, 10, 8-1 points to their 10 favourite songs |
Winning song | ![]() "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" |
The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Paris, France, following the country's victory at the 1977 contest with the song "L'Oiseau et l'Enfant" by Marie Myriam. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Télévision Française 1 (TF1), the contest was held at the Palais des Congrès on 22 April 1978 and was directed by Bernard Lion . [1] The contest was presented by French television presenters Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone. This was the first time that more than one presenter had hosted the contest as well as the first to have a male presenter since 1956.
Twenty countries participated, the highest number of competing countries in the history of the competition at the time. Denmark and Turkey both returned to the contest. Denmark had not participated since 1966, 12 years before.
The winner of the contest was Israel with the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta. The winning entry was a love song sung in the Hebrew equivalent of Ubbi dubbi (the title is an expansion of the Hebrew word ani, meaning "I"). This was Israel's first Eurovision win, and it was also the first winning song to be performed in one of the Semitic languages. Furthermore, it was also the only winning song to be conducted by a woman, Nurit Hirsh. Norway finished last for the fifth time, gaining the first nul points after the new voting system was implemented in 1975.
The event took place in Paris, the capital and largest city of France, with the host venue being the Palais des congrès de Paris , which is a concert venue, convention centre and shopping mall in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Built by French architect Guillaume Gillet, the venue was inaugurated in 1974.
Eurovision Song Contest 1978 –Participation summaries by country | |
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Denmark returned to the competition after having been absent for twelve years, while Turkey did so after missing out two years. [2] This meant that, for the first time, the contest had twenty participating nations competing.
Country | Broadcaster | Artist | Song | Language | Songwriter(s) | Conductor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ORF | Springtime | "Mrs. Caroline Robinson" | German |
| Richard Oesterreicher |
![]() | RTBF | Jean Vallée | "L'amour ça fait chanter la vie" | French | Jean Vallée | Jean Musy |
![]() | DR | Mabel | "Boom Boom" | Danish |
| Helmer Olesen |
![]() | YLE | Seija Simola | "Anna rakkaudelle tilaisuus" | Finnish |
| Ossi Runne |
![]() | TF1 | Joël Prévost | "Il y aura toujours des violons" | French |
| Alain Goraguer |
![]() | SWF [lower-alpha 1] | Ireen Sheer | "Feuer" | German |
| Jean Frankfurter |
![]() | ERT | Tania Tsanaklidou | "Charlie Chaplin" (Τσάρλυ Τσάπλιν) | Greek |
| Haris Andreadis |
![]() | RTÉ | Colm C. T. Wilkinson | "Born to Sing" | English | Colm C. T. Wilkinson | Noel Kelehan |
![]() | IBA | Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta | "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" (א-ב-ני-בי) | Hebrew | Nurit Hirsh | |
![]() | RAI | Ricchi e Poveri | "Questo amore" | Italian |
| Nicola Samale |
![]() | CLT | Baccara | " Parlez-vous français ? " | French |
| Rolf Soja |
![]() | TMC | Caline and Olivier Toussaint | "Les Jardins de Monaco" | French |
| Yvon Rioland |
![]() | NOS | Harmony | "'t Is OK" | Dutch |
| Harry van Hoof |
![]() | NRK | Jahn Teigen | "Mil etter mil" | Norwegian | Kai Eide | Carsten Klouman |
![]() | RTP | Gemini | "Dai li dou" | Portuguese |
| Thilo Krasmann |
![]() | TVE | José Vélez | "Bailemos un vals" | Spanish |
| Ramón Arcusa |
![]() | SR | Björn Skifs | "Det blir alltid värre framåt natten" | Swedish | Peter Himmelstrand | Bengt Palmers |
![]() | SRG SSR | Carole Vinci | "Vivre" | French |
| Daniel Janin |
![]() | TRT | Nilüfer and Nazar | "Sevince" | Turkish |
| Onno Tunç |
![]() | BBC | Co-Co | "The Bad Old Days" | English |
| Alyn Ainsworth |
Artist | Country | Previous year(s) |
---|---|---|
Jean Vallée | ![]() | 1970 |
Norbert Niedermeyer (as part of Springtime) | ![]() | 1972 (as part of Milestones) |
Ireen Sheer | ![]() | 1974 (for ![]() |
The postcards were filmed live, featuring the artists making their way to the stage. They took a corridor, then an elevator. Leaving the lift, they were greeted by the previous participants and then made their entrances to the stage. The camera also made several shots of the audience, notably Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg.
Each song was accompanied by a 45-piece orchestra. [1]
The Swedish participant Björn Skifs was unhappy with the rule that every country would have to perform in their native language. He planned to sing in English anyway, but changed his mind at the last moment, causing him to completely forget the lyrics. He therefore sang the first few lines in gibberish before finding the words again.
The Israeli win caused problems for several North African and Middle-Eastern nations that were televising the contest, even though they were not participating. According to author and political commentator John Kennedy O'Connor in his book The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History, when Israel became the clear winners during the voting, most of the Arabic stations ended their transmission of the contest. Jordanian TV finished the show with a photo of a bunch of daffodils on screen, later announcing that the Belgian entry (which finished second) was the winner. [8]
The contest was held on 22 April 1978, beginning at 21:30 (CEST). [9]
Fears of terrorist attacks like at the Summer Olympics 1972 in Munich and of stage invasions like in 1964 meant that security measures in and around the Palais des Congrès were particularly tight: 200 police officers, some of them as undercover agents, tried to prevent any potential incidents. Spectators had to go through metal detectors upon arrival at the Palais des Congrès. [9]
In addition to his duties as a host together with Denise Fabre, Léon Zitrone also served as commentator for France, in an own commentary box backstage. [9]
R/O | Country | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Colm C. T. Wilkinson | "Born to Sing" | 86 | 5 |
2 | ![]() | Jahn Teigen | "Mil etter mil" | 0 | 20 |
3 | ![]() | Ricchi e Poveri | "Questo amore" | 53 | 12 |
4 | ![]() | Seija Simola | "Anna rakkaudelle tilaisuus" | 2 | 18 |
5 | ![]() | Gemini | "Dai li dou" | 5 | 17 |
6 | ![]() | Joël Prévost | "Il y aura toujours des violons" | 119 | 3 |
7 | ![]() | José Vélez | "Bailemos un vals" | 65 | 9 |
8 | ![]() | Co-Co | "The Bad Old Days" | 61 | 11 |
9 | ![]() | Carole Vinci | "Vivre" | 65 | 9 |
10 | ![]() | Jean Vallée | "L'amour ça fait chanter la vie" | 125 | 2 |
11 | ![]() | Harmony | "'t Is OK" | 37 | 13 |
12 | ![]() | Nilüfer and Nazar | "Sevince" | 2 | 18 |
13 | ![]() | Ireen Sheer | "Feuer" | 84 | 6 |
14 | ![]() | Caline and Olivier Toussaint | "Les Jardins de Monaco" | 107 | 4 |
15 | ![]() | Tania Tsanaklidou | "Charlie Chaplin" | 66 | 8 |
16 | ![]() | Mabel | "Boom Boom" | 13 | 16 |
17 | ![]() | Baccara | " Parlez-vous français ? " | 73 | 7 |
18 | ![]() | Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta | "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" | 157 | 1 |
19 | ![]() | Springtime | "Mrs. Caroline Robinson" | 14 | 15 |
20 | ![]() | Björn Skifs | "Det blir alltid värre framåt natten" | 26 | 14 |
Each country nominated a spokesperson who was responsible for announcing the votes for their respective country via telephone. Known spokespersons at the 1978 contest are listed below.
Total score | Ireland | Norway | Italy | Finland | Portugal | France | Spain | United Kingdom | Switzerland | Belgium | Netherlands | Turkey | Germany | Monaco | Greece | Denmark | Luxembourg | Israel | Austria | Sweden | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestants | Ireland | 86 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 8 | |||||||||
Norway | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Italy | 53 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
Finland | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Portugal | 5 | 4 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
France | 119 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 10 | ||
Spain | 65 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||||
United Kingdom | 61 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | ||||||
Switzerland | 65 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 10 | |||||||
Belgium | 125 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | ||||
Netherlands | 37 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 1 | |||||||||||||
Turkey | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
Germany | 84 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |||||||
Monaco | 107 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 12 | ||||
Greece | 66 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||
Denmark | 13 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Luxembourg | 73 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 6 | |||||||||
Israel | 157 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 8 | |||
Austria | 14 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
Sweden | 26 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Below is a summary of all 12 points in the final:
N. | Contestant | Nation(s) giving 12 points |
---|---|---|
6 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
5 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
3 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
1 | ![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() | |
![]() | ![]() | |
![]() | ![]() | |
![]() | ![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
Each participating broadcaster was required to relay the contest via its networks. Non-participating EBU member broadcasters were also able to relay the contest as "passive participants". Broadcasters were able to send commentators to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language and to relay information about the artists and songs to their television viewers. [16] TF1 provided 29 commentary boxes in the auditorium for foreign broadcasters. [9]
Known details on the broadcasts in each country, including the specific broadcasting stations and commentators are shown in the tables below. In addition to the participating countries, the contest was also reportedly broadcast in 17 other countries, including Algeria, Iceland, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Yugoslavia, in Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and the Soviet Union via Intervision, and in Hong Kong, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. [1] [4] [9] No official accounts of the viewing figures are known to exist. An estimate given in the French press ahead of the contest was 350 million viewers worldwide. [9]
Country | Broadcaster | Channel(s) | Commentator(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | CyBC | RIK | [48] | |
![]() | TVB | TVB Jade [lower-alpha 4] | [49] | |
TVB Pearl [lower-alpha 4] | ||||
![]() | MTV | MTV2 [lower-alpha 5] | [50] | |
![]() | RÚV | Sjónvarpið [lower-alpha 6] | Ragna Ragnars | [51] |
![]() | JTV | JTV2 | [52] | |
![]() | TeleCuraçao [lower-alpha 7] | [53] | ||
![]() | TP | TP1 [lower-alpha 8] | [54] | |
![]() | JRT | TV Beograd 1 | [55] | |
TV Koper-Capodistria [lower-alpha 9] | [56] | |||
TV Ljubljana 1 [lower-alpha 10] | [57] | |||
TV Zagreb 1 | [58] |
The Eurovision Song Contest 1969 was the 14th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Madrid, Spain, following the country's victory at the 1968 contest with the song "La La La" by Massiel. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Televisión Española (TVE), the contest was held at the Teatro Real on 29 March 1969 and was hosted by Spanish television presenter and actress Laurita Valenzuela.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1968 was the 13th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in London, United Kingdom, following the country's first victory at the 1967 contest with the song "Puppet on a String" by Sandie Shaw. Despite having won for the first time the year before, it was actually the third time that the United Kingdom had hosted the competition, having previously done so in 1960 and 1963, both of which also took place in London. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the contest was held at Royal Albert Hall on 6 April 1968, and was hosted by Katie Boyle for the third time. It was notably also the first time that the contest was broadcast in colour.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1963 was the eighth edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest and took place in London, United Kingdom. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), who agreed to stage the event after France, who had won the 1962 edition, declined to host it due to financial shortcomings, also having hosted the competition in 1959 and 1961. The contest was held at the BBC Television Centre on Saturday 23 March 1963 and was hosted by Katie Boyle for a second time.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1964 was the 9th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the 1963 contest with the song "Dansevise" by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR), the contest was held at Tivolis Koncertsal on 21 March 1964, and was hosted by Danish TV presenter Lotte Wæver.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1965 was the tenth edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Naples, Italy, following the country's victory at the 1964 contest with the song "Non ho l'età" by Gigliola Cinquetti. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI), the contest was held at Sala di Concerto della RAI on 20 March 1965, and was hosted by Italian singer Renata Mauro.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1967 was the 12th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the 1966 contest with the song "Merci, Chérie" by Udo Jürgens. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), the contest was held at the Großer Festsaal der Wiener Hofburg on 8 April 1967, becoming the first contest held in the month of April, and was hosted by Austrian actress Erica Vaal.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1970 was the 15th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest and took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), the contest was held at the RAI Congrescentrum on 21 March 1970, and was hosted by Dutch television presenter Willy Dobbe.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1971 was the 16th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following the country's victory at the 1970 contest with the song "All Kinds of Everything" by Dana. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), the contest was held at the Gaiety Theatre on 3 April 1971, and was hosted by Irish television presenter Bernadette Ní Ghallchóir.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1987 was the 32nd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Brussels, Belgium, following the country's victory at the 1986 contest with the song "J'aime la vie" by Sandra Kim. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF), the contest was held at the Centenary Palace on 9 May 1987 and hosted by French-Belgian singer Viktor Lazlo.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1985 was the 30th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 4 May 1985 in the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT), and presented by Lill Lindfors, the contest was held in Sweden following the country's victory at the 1984 contest with the song "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" by Herreys.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1988 was the 33rd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following Johnny Logan's win at the 1987 contest with the song "Hold Me Now". Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), the contest was held at the RDS Simmonscourt on 30 April 1988 and was hosted by Irish broadcaster Pat Kenny and the Miss Ireland 1980 Michelle Rocca, marking the first time since the 1979 contest that two presenters had hosted the contest.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was the 25th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in The Hague, Netherlands, and was organised by host broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) – which agreed to stage the event after Israel, having won in both 1978 and 1979, declined to host it for a second successive year – and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The contest was held at the Nederlands Congresgebouw on 19 April 1980 and was hosted by Dutch actress Marlous Fluitsma, although each song was introduced by a presenter from the participating nation.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Jerusalem, Israel, following the country's victory at the 1978 contest with the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the contest was held at the International Convention Centre on 31 March 1979, and was hosted by Israeli television presenter Daniel Pe'er and singer Yardena Arazi. This was the first time that the Eurovision Song Contest was held outside Europe.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1984 was the 29th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 5 May 1984 in the Théâtre Municipal in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Télévision Luxembourg (RTL), the contest was held in Luxembourg following the country's victory at the 1983 contest with the song "Si la vie est cadeau" by Corinne Hermès. The event was presented by Désirée Nosbusch, who, at 19 years old, remains the youngest person to have hosted the contest as of 2024.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1973 was the 18th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, following the country's victory at the 1972 contest with the song "Après toi" by Vicky Leandros. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT), the contest was held at the Grand Théâtre on 7 April 1973 and was hosted by German television presenter Helga Guitton.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1972 was the 17th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom and was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), who agreed to stage the event after the Monégasque broadcaster Télé Monte Carlo (TMC), who won in 1971, was unable to meet the demands of hosting the event and could not find a suitable venue. The contest was held at the Usher Hall on 25 March 1972 and was hosted by Scottish ballet dancer Moira Shearer. Eighteen countries took part in the contest, the same countries as the previous year.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1977 was the 22nd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in London, United Kingdom, following the country's victory at the 1976 contest with the song "Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the contest was held at the Wembley Conference Centre on 7 May 1977, marking the first time the event took place in the month of May since the first contest in 1956. The contest was directed by Stewart Morris and hosted by English journalist Angela Rippon.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1975 was the 20th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 22 March 1975 in the Sankt Eriks-Mässan in Stockholm, Sweden. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR), and presented by Karin Falck, the contest was held in Sweden following the country's victory at the 1974 contest with the song "Waterloo" by ABBA.
The Eurovision Young Dancers 1989 was the third edition of the Eurovision Young Dancers held at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, France on 28 June 1989. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster France Régions 3 (FR3), dancers from ten countries participated in the televised final. A total of seventeen countries took part in the competition. Cyprus and Portugal made their debut at the contest.
Luxembourg has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 38 times since its debut at the first contest in 1956. The current Luxembourgish participant broadcaster in the contest is RTL Lëtzebuerg (RTL). The nation participated in all but one event between 1956 and 1993, only missing the 1959 contest. After finishing among the bottom seven countries in 1993, Luxembourg was relegated and prevented from competing in 1994. The nation declined to return to the contest in 1995, and would make no further appearances over the next three decades. The country returned to the event for the first time in 31 years in 2024.
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